Machine for channeling the soles of boots or shoes



Oct. 29, 1929. A.v BATES ET AL MACHINE FOR CHANNELING THE SOLES OF BOOTS 0R SHOES Filed Feb. 4, 1925 w iii/22i Patented Oct. 29 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARTHUR BATES AND ARTHUR HENRY DODD, OF LEICESTER, ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A COR- PORATION OF NEW JERSEY MACHINE FOR CHANNELING THE SOLES OF BOOTS R SHOES Application filed February 4, 1925, Serial No. 6,835, and in Great Britain February 16,- 1924. i

This invention relates to improvements in machines for channeling the soles of boots or shoes. Certain features of the invention are herein shown as embodied in a rounding and channeling machine of the type disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,030,606, granted June 25, 1912 upon application of F. H. Perry, the illustrated machine operating to trim the forepart of a sole as well as to channel both the forepart and shank portion of the sole. The invention is not necessarily limited, however, to the use of a rounding and channeling machine as the means for operating upon the Work, nor does the invention necessarily involve the operation of trimming or shaping the sole margin in connection with the channeling of the sole.

Rounding and channeling machines of the type illustrated in the drawings are adapted to operate upon the outsole of a Welt shoe, aft er the outsole has been laid but before it has been stitched to the welt, to trim the outsole to final shape and to form a channel in the tread face thereof to receive the outsole stitches. To this end, each machine is provided with a crease guide for entering the crease between the upper and the welt to guide the work while the trimming and channeling operations are proceeding along the shank of the sole, and with a movable forepart guide which is thrown into operation in passing from the shank to the forepart to guide the work by engagement with the upper while operating around the forepart of the shoe.

l n rounding and channelingthe' soles of shoes of certain types such, for example, as so-called French welted shoes, peculiar problems are presented. French welted shoes are like Goodyear welt shoes in that a welt is stitched to the upper around the forepart of the shoe, and the portion of the outsole forward of the ball line is attached to this welt as is usual in Goodyear welt construction. The welt, however, does not eX- tend back along the shank but at this portion of the shoe the outsole is finally attached directly to the upper by stitches which pass through the outsole, upper and insole to the inside of the'shoe as in a McKay sewed shoe.

In the manufacture of French welted shoes, after the upper has been lasted and the welt has been stitched to the upper around. the forepart of the shoe, the outsole is laid and temporary fastenings are driven through the central portion of the outsole and into the last to hold the sole in place until it is stitched to the welt and the upper. When applied to a shoe of thisspecial type, the outsole is large atthe forepart, i. e., its margin is untrimmed, but the sole is cut to substantially final shape along the shank. Consequently such a sole needs to be both trimmed and channeled at the forepart while along the shank the sole needs only to be channeled.

It has been impracticable heretofore to trim the forepart and both to trim and channel the shank of an outsole for a French welted shoe by a continuous operation in a roundingand channeling machine because at the time the trimming and. channeling operation is to be performed, there are no fastenings extending through the marginal portion of the outsole and consequently there isv no closed crease between the upper and the sole margin in which the crease guide of a rounding and channeling machine may be received so as effectively to guide the work relatively to the rounding and channeling tools. Accordingly it has been customary in this special class of work to channel theshank of the sole before the sole is assembled with the rest of the shoe and after the sole has been laid and temporarily secured to the shoe, to round and channel the forepart of the sole in a rounding and channeling machine and thereafter, if necessary, to join by hand the channels thus formed.

In view of the foregoing, one object ofthis invention is to provide an improved machine for operating upon a shoe, having a sole previously formed to substantially final shape only part way around its margin, progressively to channel a length of sole margin including aportion having substantially final shape and a portion not having substantially final shape.

To this end, one feature of the invention consists in the provision, in a rounding and channeling machine for operating upon a shoe having a sole previously cut to final shape only part way around its margln, of means for guiding the shoe by engagement with the shoe upper during the rounding and channeling of that portion of the sole margin not having substantially final shape, and a guide adapted by engagement with the edge of the previously shaped portion of the sole margin to guide the shoe during the chaneling of said previously shaped porton of the sole margin. A machine embodying the invention above defined is particularly adapted for operation upon French welted shoes. The machine, however, is not limited to such use but is capable of operating upon other special types of shoes the soles of which have a marginal portion which has been cut to final shape and which, at the time the machine operates thereon, are not attached to a shoe in such a way as to pro vide a closed crease between the sole and the upper which may be entered by a crease guide.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention a forepart guide of the type usually employed in rounding and channeling machines is employed to guide the shoe by engagement with the shoe upper during the channeling of the portion of the sole margin not previously cut to final shape, and the means for guiding the shoe during the channeling of the previously shaped portion of the sole margin comprises an edge guide which is movable into and out of operative position and is arranged to engage the edge of the sole at a point which, having regard to the direction of feed of the work, is located in front of the point of operation of the rounding and channeling tools. The forepart guide, in accordance with the usual construction, is also movable into and out of operative position and connections are pro vided between the edge guide and the forepart guide whereby the edge guide is thrown into operation when the forepart guide is retracted from operative position and whereby the edge guide is thrown out of operation when the forepart guide is moved into op erative position.

Further to assist in guiding a shoe during the channeling along a previously shaped marginal portion of the sole, another feature of the invention consists in the combination with means for guiding the shoe by engagement with the shoe upper during the rounding and channeling of a portion of the sole not having substantially final shape, of a guide which, having regard to the direction of Work feed, is located beyond the point of operation of the rounding and Channeling tools, and which is adapted to engage the edge of a previously shaped portion of the margin of the sole of the shoe to guide the shoe during the channeling of that portion of the sole margin.

The above and other features of the invention will become fully evident from a consideration of the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of so much of a rounding and channeling machine as is necessary to illustrate the application thereto of the present invention, and

Fig. 2 is side elevational view of the parts shown in Fig. 1.

In the drawings, the crease guide is indicated at 4, the forepart guide at 6, the rounding or trimming knife at- 8 and the channeling knife at 10. The construction and operation of these parts is substantially the same as that of corresponding part-s fully shown and described in the Perry Patent No. 1,030,606, heretofore referred to. The parts mentioned, therefore, will not be described in detail herein, it being suflicient for present purposes to state that the forepart guide 6 is carried by an arm 12 which is connected with an operating treadle (not shown) through actuation of which the forepart guide may be moved into and out of operative position, and that the crease guide 4 is carried by an arm 14: (Fig. 2) which is capable of being moved an amount sufiicient to control the projection of the sole edge at the shank of the shoe.

In the illustrated construction, the crease guide 4: carries a bolt 16 upon which is pivoted a lever 18 having an arm extending to the right-hand side of the rounding and channeling knives (viewing Fig. 1) and at the free extremity of this arm is formed a sole edge guide 20 for use in guiding a shoe fed toward the left in Fig. 1. The guide 20 has a horizontal and somewhat curved face 22 for guiding the shoe by engagement with the edge face of the sole and the guide 20 is arranged to engage the sole edge at a point which, considering the direction of work feed, is located in frontof the point of operation of the knives so that the guide will engage the work before the portions engaged are operated upon by the knives. This arm of the lever 18 also carries, at its free extremity, a downwardly extending lip 24 formed with a surface for engaging the tread face of the sole to assist in guiding the sole and maintaining it in proper relation to the trimming and channeling knives. A second arm of the lever 18 extends to the left of the pivot bolt 16 and has connected to it the lower end of a tension spring 26 the upper end of which is connected to a lug 28 on the arm 12 which carries the forepartguide. An adjustable abutment 30, in the form of a screw, is threaded into the lug 28 and is adapted to engage a face 32 formed on the upper end of the lever 18. The construction and arrangement of the parts just described is such that as the forepart guide 6 is lowered into operative position the abutment 30 moves downwardly therewith into engagement with the lever 18, swinging said lever about its pivot 16, to move the sole edge guide upwardly into inoperative position, and as the forepart guide 6 is retracted to inoperative position the abutment is also retracted and the sole edge guide 20 is moved into operative position through the action of the spring 26. In order to limit the swinging movement of the lever 18, so aspositively to determine the operative position of the sole edge guide 20, a pin 34 carried by the lever 18 extends into a notch 36 which is cut into the under side of the head of the bolt 16 and is adapted to engage a stop face at the lower end of said notch.

Further to facilitate the guiding of the work by engagement with the previously rounded margin at the shank of a sole, a second or auxiliary edge guide 410 is formed at the lower end of a plate 12 which is secured to the rear side of the crease guide 4 by means of the bolt 16, the plate 42 depending from the bolt 16 so that the edge guide 40, at the free lower extremity of said plate, is located at the left-hand side of the trimming and channeling knives (viewing Fig. 1). In other words, the guide is located beyond the point of operation of said knives so that the work will not reach the guide 40 until after it has been operated upon by the knives. The bolt 17' is provided with a shoulder 44 which engages the plate 42 clamping the plate to the crease guide while at the same time allowing for free oscillation of the edge guide lever 18. As shown in Fig. 1, the edge guide 40 is provided with a row of teeth which are shaped to prevent retrograde movement of the shoe while the channeling knife performs its operation. If desired, similar teeth may be formed upon the sole edge engaging face of the movable edge guide 20 further to insure against backward movement of the work during the operation of the channeling knife.

In operating upon French welted shoes in a rounding and channeling machine fitted as above described, the shoe is presented to the machine with the welt strip attached to the upper (the welt extending around the forepart but not into the shank at either side of the shoe) and with the sole (cut to its final shape along the shank) secured in place upon the last by tacks or nails which extend through the central portion of the sole. When the shoe is presented to the machine, the fore part guide 6 is raised and the sole edge 20 is operatively positioned as shown in Fig. 1 and the channel is out along the shank at one side of the shoe, the shoe being guided bythe engagement of the edge of the Shank portion of the sole with the guiding faces of the edge guides 20 and40 which are positioned one at either side of the rounding and channeling knives. The teeth on the edge guide 40 (and the teeth on the edge guide 20, if the latter is provided with teeth) assist in preventing movementof the shoe in a direction opposite to that in which it is fed by the machine as the channel knife is moved to cut the channel. \Vhen the forepart of the sole is reached, the forepart guide 6 is swung downwardly into operative position. The sole edge guide 20 being simultaneously moved upwardly by the connections hereinbefore described, the fore part of the sole is both rounded and channeled. During the rounding and channeling of the forepart, the shoe is guided by engagement of the forepart guide6 with the upper at the side of the shoe in the usual manner. The edge guide 40, being rigidly connected with the crease guide 4, remains at all times in operative position without interfering with the proper operation of the machine, since when the margin of the sole at the forepart engages the edge guide 40, this portion of the sole margin has been operated upon by the rounding knife 8 and consequently has been trimmed to its final shape. After the forepart has been rounded and channeled, the forepart guide 6 is raised to inoperative position and simultaneously the sole edge guide 20 is swung downwardly into operative position and the shank is channeled at the other side of the shoe, the shoe being guided during this part of the operation upon the sole by engagement of the edge guides 20 and 40 with the edge of the shank portion of the sole.

Having fully described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In a machine for operating upon a shoe provided with a sole having a portion of its margin previously shaped to substantially final contour and unattached to the upper and another ortion of its margin not shaped to substantlally final contour, the combination with means for channeling the sole margin, of a gage movable into and out of operative position for engaging the edge of the previously shaped portion of the sole margin to guide the shoe during the channeling of said previously shaped portion, means for moving said gage into and out of operative position, and a second gage constructed and arranged positively to guide the shoe as the shoe is held against and fed past said second gage during the channeling of the portion of the sole margin not previously shaped substantially to final contour.

2. In a machine for operating upon a shoe provided with a sole having a portion of its margin previously shaped to substantially final contour and unattached to the upper and another portion of its margin not shaped to substantially final contour, the combination with means for channeling the sole margin, of a gage constructed and arranged positively to guide the shoe as the shoe is held against fed past the gage during the channeling of the portion of the sole margin not previously shaped substantially to final contour, a second gage for engaging the edge of the previously shaped portion of the sole margin to guide the shoe during the channeling along said previously shaped portion, and operator-controlled means for moving said gages into and out of operative positions.

3. In a machine for operating upon a shoe provided with a sole having a portion of its margin previously shaped to substantially final contour and unattached to the upper and another portion of its margin not shaped to substantially final contour, the combination with means for channeling the sole margin, of a gage constructed and arranged positively to guide the shoe as the shoe is held against and fed past the gage during the channeling of the portion of the sole margin not previously shaped substantially to final contour and means for engaging the edge of the previously shaped portion of the sole margin to guide the shoe during the channeling along said portion of the sole margin.

4. In a machine for operating upon a S1106 provided with a sole having its shank portion previously shaped to substantially final contour and unattached to the upper and having its forepart not shaped to substantially final contour, the combination with means for channeling the sole margin, of means for guiding the shoe by engagement with the shoe upper during the channeling of the margin of the torepartoi the sole, and other means adapted by engagement with the edge of the shank portion of the sole to guide the shoe during the channeling of the shank of the sole.

5. In a rounding and channeling machine for operating upon a shoe having a sole previously cut to substantially final shape only part way around its margin, the combination with rounding and channeling instrumentalit'ies, 01": means for guiding the shoe by engagement with the shoe upper during the rounding and channeling of that portion of the sole margin not having substantially final sh ape, and a guide adapted by engagement with the edge of the previously shaped portion of the sole margin to guide the shoe during the channeling of said previously shaped portion.

6 In a rounding and channeling machine for operating upon a shoe having a sole previously cut to substantially final shape only part way around its margin, the combination with work feeding means and rounding and channeling instrumentali of means for guiding the shoe by engagement with the shoe upper during the rounding and channeling of that portion of the solemargin not having substantially final shape, and a guide adapted by engagement with the edge of the previous ly shaped portion of the sole margin at a point in front of the point of operation of the rounding and channeling instrumentalities to guidethe shoe during the channeling of said pre viously shaped portion.

7. In a rounding and channeling machine for operating upon a shoe having a sole previously cut to substantially final shape only part way around its margin, the combination with work feeding means and rounding and channeling instrumentalities, of means for guiding the shoe by engagement with the shoe upper during the rounding and channeling of that portion of the sole margin not having substantially final shape, and a guide adapted by engagement with the edge of the previously shaped portion of the sole margin at a point beyond the point of operation of the rounding and channeling instrumentalities to guide the shoe during the channeling of said previously shaped portion.

8. In a rounding and channeling machine for operating upon a shoe having a sole previously cut to substantially final shape only part Way around its margin, the combination with rounding and channeling instrumentalities, of means for guiding the shoe by engagement with the shoe upper during the rounding of that portion of the sole margin not having substantially final shape, and a guide adapted by engagement with the edge of the previously shaped portion of the sole margin to guidethe shoe during the channeling of said previously shaped portion, said guide being provided with teeth shaped to prevent movement of the shoe in the direction in which the channeling operation is progressing.

9. In a rounding and channeling machine, the combination with the forepart guide and rounding and channeling instrumentalities, of an edge guide for engaging a previously shaped portion of the margin of the sole of a shoe to guide the shoe during the channeling along said portion of the sole margin.

10. In a rounding and channeling machine, the combination with the torepart guide and rounding and channeling tools, of a movable edge guide for engaging a previously shaped margin at the shank of the sole of a shoe to guide the shoe during the channeling at the shank, and means for moving said edge guide into and out of operative position.

11. In a rounding an d channeling machine, the combination with rounding and channeling tools, of a forepart guide movable into and out of operative position, an edge guide movable into and out of operative position and adapted by engagement with a previously shaped portion of the margin of the sole to guide the work during the channeling of said portion ofthe sole margin, and connections between said guides for moving the edge guide into operative position when the forepart guide is moved out of operative position.

12. In a rounding and channeling machine for operating upon a shoe having a sole previously cut to final shape part way around its margin, the combination with a forepart guide and rounding and channeling instrumentalities, of a guide movable into and out of position for engagement with the edge of the previously shaped portion of the sole margin to guide the shoe during the channeling of said portion of the sole margin.

13. In a rounding and channeling machine for operating upon a shoe having a sole previously cut to final shape part way around its margin, the combination of a rounding tool, a channeling tool, a forepart guide, a crease guide, and an edge guide carried by the crease guide and movable into and out of position for engagement with the ed e of the previously shaped portion of the sole margin to guide the shoe during the channeling of said portion of the sole margin.

14. In a rounding and channeling machine for operating upon a shoe having a sole previously cut to final shape part way around its margin, the combination with rounding and channeling instrumentalities, of a forepart guide movable into and out of operative position for engagement with the shoe upper during the rounding of the unfinished portion of the sole margin, an edge guide movable into and out of operative position and adapted by engagement with the edge of the previously shaped portion of the sole margin to guide the shoe during the channeling of said portion of the sole margin, and means for moving the edge guide into operative position when the forepart guide is moved out of operative position.

15. In a rounding and channeling machine for operating upon a shoe having a sole previously cut to final shape part way around its margin, the combination with rounding and channeling instrumentalities, of a forepart guide movable into and out of operative position for engagement with the shoe upper during the rounding of the unfinished portion of the sole margin, an edge guide movable into and out of operative position and adapted by engagement with the edge of the previously shaped portion of the sole margin to guide the shoe during the channeling of said portion of the sole margin, and means for moving the edge guide out of operative position when the forepart guide is moved into operative position.

' 16. In a rounding and channeling machine for operating upon a shoe having a sole previously cut to final shape part way round its margin, the combination with rounding and channeling instrumentalities, of a forepart guide movable into and out of operative position for engagement with the shoe upper during the rounding of the unfinished portion of the sole margin, an edge guide movable into and out of operative position and adapted by engagement with the edge of the previously shaped portion of the sole margin to guide the shoe during the channeling of said portion of the sole margin, and means operated by movement ofthe forepart guide into operative position for moving the edge guide out of operative position.

17 In a rounding and channeling machine for operating upon a shoe having a sole previously cut substantially to final shape part way around its margin, the combination with rounding and channeling instrumentalities, of a crease guide, a forepart guide for engaging the shoe upper to guide the shoe during the rounding of its forepart, and means carried by the crease guide and located beyond the point of operation of the rounding and channeling instrumentalities for engaging the edge of the previously shaped portion of the sole margin to guide the shoe during the channeling of said portion of the sole margin.

18. In a rounding and channeling machine, the combination with rounding and channeling tools, of an edge guide located atone side of said tools and adapted by engagement with a previously shaped portion of the edge of the sole to guide the work during the channeling of a portion of the sole margin, and an auxiliary edge guide located at the opposite side of said tools and adapted to engage a portion of the sole edge to assist in guiding the work during the channeling of said portion of the sole margin.

19. In a rounding and channeling machine for operating upon a shoe having a sole previously cut to final shape part way around its margin, the combination with rounding and channeling instrumentalities, of a forepart guide movable into and out of operative position for engagement with the shoe upper during-the rounding of the unfinished portion of the sole margin, an edge guide movable into and out'of operative position and adapted by engagement with the edge of the previously shaped portion of the sole margin to guide the shoe during the channeling of said portion of the sole margin, and a yielding connection between said guides for moving the edge guide into operative position when the forepart guide is moved out of operative position.

20. In a rounding and channeling machine for operating upon a shoe having a sole which has previously been cut to final shape along the shank, the combination with rounding and channeling instrumentalities of a forepart guide for engaging the shoe upper to guide the shoe during operation upon the forepart, a carrier arranged to move the forepart guide into and out of operative position, an edge guide adapted by engagement with the edge of the previously shaped shank portion of the sole to guide the shoe during the channeling of the shank, a pivotally mounted carrier for the edge guide, and a yielding connection between said carriers for moving the edge guide into' operative position when the forepart guide is moved out of operative position.

21. In a rounding and channeling machine for operating upon a shoe having a sole Which has previously been cut to final shape along the shank, the combination With rounding and channeling instrumentalities of a forepart guide for engaging the shoe upper to guide the shoe during Operation upon the forepart, a carrier arranged to move the forepart guide into and out of operative position, an edge guide adapted by engagement With the edge of the previously shaped shank portion of the sole to guide the shoe during the channeling of the shank, a pivotally mounted carrier for the edge guide, and an abutment on the forepart guide carrier arranged to engage the edge guide carrier upon movement of the forepart guide into operative position to render the edge guide inoperative.

22. In a rounding and channeling machine for operating upon a shoe having a sole which has previously been cut to final shape along the shank, the combination With rounding and channeling inst-riunentalities, of an initially inoperative forepart guide, an initially operative edge guide for engagement With the edge face at the shank of the sole, and means operative upon movement of the forepart guide into operative position to retract the edge guide and upon retraction of the forepart guide operatively to position the edge guide. A V

23. In a rounding and channeling machine for operating upon a shoe having a sole previously cut to final shape along the shank, the combination With rounding and channeling instrumentalities, of a forepart guide movable into and out of operative position, an edge guide movable into and out of operative engagement for engaging the edge of the sole at the shank to guide theshoe during the channeling along the shank, yielding means for moving the edge guide into operative position,

' and a stop for determining the operative position of the edge guide.

24. In a rounding and channeling machine for operating upon a shoe havlng a sole prec viously cut to final shape part Way around its 50' margin, the combination with rounding and channeling instrumentalities, of means for guiding the shoe by engagement With the edge of the previously shaped portion of the sole .margin to guide the shoe during the channeling of said portion of the sole, and means for engaging the margin of'the tread face of the sole at a point immediately adjacent to said edge face for assisting in guiding the shoe.

25. In a rounding and channeling machine for operating upon a shoe having a sole previously cut to final shape along the shank, the combination W1th rounding and channeling tools, of a forepart guide movable into and out of operative position, an edge guide mov-.

able into and out of operative position and adapted by engagement With the previously rounded portion of the margin of the sole to guide the Work during the channeling of said portion of the sole margin, and means on said edge guide for engaging the tread face of the sole to assist in guiding the shoe during said channeling operation.

In testimony whereof We have signed our names to this specification.

ARTHUR BATES.

ARTHUR HENRY DODD. 

